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Showing posts with the label Family Stories

Elvis and The Lord's Supper

The “King” is dead.    We got home from vacation to discover the disturbing news that Elvis, our rooster, was savagely taken by a coyote.   All that remained of him was a few drops of blood and a pile of his beautiful tail feathers.   We were all in denial.   We walked our property calling for him.   We tried luring him with food scraps.   We waited to see if he would make his way into the coop for the night.   He never did.    That night, as we toasted to my husband’s 40 th Birthday with sparkling cider,  Thing 1 calls out, “And to Elvis, the bravest rooster alive...or dead. I guess, " and we had a moment of silence for the sacrifice he made for his hens.  All of us knew what kind of rooster he was.   He was big and regal.   He had gorgeous, clean white feathers with a bit of silver around his neck and in his tail.   He reminded us of “The King of Rock' n Roll” in his famous white and silver jumpsuit, henc...

I'm Sorry: A Family Story

2026 Note: My dad passed away 12 years ago this month.  My mom passed away just last month.  This story feels more important to me now than ever.  It also reminds me of the picture book "The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story" that I will definitely be busting out to read with my students next year.  The story I share below demonstrates just how hard the words "I'm sorry" can be for some people.  I only remember my dad apologizing to me two times in my life, and they were profound moments for me.  He was a big, strong Marine who rarely saw the need.  But I can tell you, as a parent with 2 adult children and 1 middle schooler, that practicing the art of apologizing has only strengthened my relationship with my kids and modeled this skill to them.  If this is not something you are adept at as a parent, I highly recommend you start practicing. Kristen